Blog 4

1. As teachers, we are preparing students for life beyond the classroom. We are hopeful that our students will become productive members of society. HPI is a movement that focuses on valued accomplishments through people. A teacher is always looking for ways to have students achieve goals, and this is an outside of the box path. I was interested in the findings of Gilbert (1978, 1996). He focused on variables that affect the workplace performance. These can easOnily be translated to a classroom. For example, it is important that students know what is expected. Effective communication is so important in a classroom, with a clear statement of purpose and expectations. Appropriate feedback is also necessary for students, feedback in a consistent and immediate manner.
I think it is always important for a teacher to assess their classroom and look for ways to improve. The concept of human performance improvement has lots of ideas on running a successful classroom, with only a few adaptations needed.
2. One definition I located from Dictionary.com: “A system that provides electronic task guidance and support to the user at the moment of need. EPSS can provide application　help, reference information, guided instructions and/or tutorials, subject matter expert advice and hints on how to perform a task more efficiently. An EPSS can combine various technologies to present the desired information. The information can be in the form of text, graphical displays, sound, and video　presentations.”
Another, Electronic Performance Support Systems (Gery, 1991)"an integrated electronic environment that is available to and easily accessible by each employee and is structured to provide immediate, individualized on-line access to the full range of information, software, guidance, advice and assistance, data, images, tools, and assessment and monitoring systems to permit job performance with minimal support and intervention by others." An electronic performance support system can also be described as any computer software program or component that improves employee performance by:
1. reducing the complexity or number of steps required to perform a task,
2. providing the performance information an employee needs to perform a task, or
3. providing a decision support system that enables an employee to identify the action that is appropriate for a particular set of conditions.
The first definition is easy to understand. The second give more details.
I think the biggest reason EPSS is not utilized more in schools is the cost. Even though the benefit outweighs the cost, it is still expensive to start a program such as this. Training would need to take place and trainers would need to stay on hand to help with problems that might arise. There is a big risk in purchasing these tools, with many teachers not willing to use them.
4. The first thing that came to mind when reading about knowledge management was standardized tests. Looking at the results and analyzing the scores is important in understanding how to raise those scores. Codification is important so the data is easily accessible to teachers. Collaboration with others is the best way to figure out how to help students in their area of need.
“The learning needs of people only increase as they apply to their jobs what they’ve been taught in a formal training session.” Application is an extremely important part of the learning process. Having students create something with their new knowledge is the only way we can know for certain they understood.
5. My favorite type of informal learning comes from inside my classroom, but is beyond my control. When students offer up ideas, thoughts, and answers to my questions that I had never thought of, I learn something new. English literature is a subjective class. Many answers can be correct, as long as students prove what they have to say. This often happens in class discussions and I am always amazed that my students grasp a concept I had missed.
Using my Iphone has also been another great way of informal learning. Answers to questions are now available at my fingertips. Whenever I am curious about a topic, I pull out my phone and look it up. Playing Words With Friends has helped my spelling and vocabulary. Runkeeper has helped my track my runs and figure out minutes per mile. My daughter practices her ABCs. The learning is endless!